Artistic drawing is as old as humanity itself. More than 30,000 years ago, someone traced with charcoal in the Chauvet Cave (France) or Altamira (Spain). They created the silhouettes of bison, hands, and deer. They didn’t call it art—but they were drawing the world.
In ancient China, masters like Gu Kaizhi (4th century) used brush and ink on silk to depict human figures. They illustrated landscapes with a unique poetic sensibility. Meanwhile, in Japan, centuries later, artists like Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) emerged. He explored drawing as a form of printing. His famous Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji reflects his contemplation in art.
In the West, drawing became a pillar of artistic education during the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci, through his anatomical studies and machine designs, transformed drawing into a tool of knowledge. Michelangelo, on the other hand, sketched figures with almost sculptural power, preparing the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel.
Later, Rembrandt mastered chiaroscuro with pencil and ink, while Ingres displayed elegant precision in his portraits. In the 20th century, artists like Egon Schiele and Pablo Picasso broke away from academic norms. They demonstrated that expressive lines could be more powerful than perfection.
Today, drawing has migrated to the digital world. Artists like Kim Jung Gi (South Korea) amazed the world with their prodigious visual memory. They created complex scenes without preliminary sketches. Artists from every corner of the planet now share their work on social media. This restores drawing’s place as a universal language.
🖼️ Drawing isn’t dead. It has simply changed its skin. And it keeps telling our story—line by line.